The family of murdered American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin has released a Hamas propaganda video filmed by the terrorists before they executed the 23-year-old last week in cold blood as Israeli soldiers approached.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin speaks in English, and addresses President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and “my own fellow American citizens.”
He talks frankly about his mistreatment by his captors: “Since I arrived in Gaza, I’ve survived with almost no medical care, little food, and little water. I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun or took a breath of fresh air.”
Hamas evidently sought to advertise the proof of its own atrocities to amplify a sense of desperation about the fate of the hostages, and to put additional pressure on the Israeli government.
Hersh continues with a claim that Hamas likely forced him to say, and which is replayed: “And worst of all, is my own country, Israel, has been trying to bomb me, nonstop.”
The message attempts to reinforce false claims that Israel is responsible for the deaths of hostages in Hamas’ hands.
The video concludes with a message of love from Hersh to his family, including the hope that he would be freed in a hostage deal.
Hersh was one of the most iconic of the hostages, with posters and graffiti urging his release all over Jerusalem, particularly in English-speaking areas. His funeral was watched around the world, including in the U.S.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
